Posted Mar 2nd 2007, 11:48am by Thomas Stone

BBC Comment on 2007

Melbourne will host the World Swimming Championships in 2007 after being chosen ahead of Abu Dhabi and Rio de Janeiro.

Australia has held the championships twice before, in 1991 and 1998, both times in Perth, and Melbourne will also host the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

"We're absolutely delighted," Australian Swimming Federation president John Devitt.

"We have a vision not only to provide a great meeting, but we have given an undertaking to work in partnership with Fina to promote our sport throughout the world.

"Everyone knows Australia can run very big and spectacular swim meets.

"The people of Australia know their swimming, and swimmers around the world respond to that."


World Championships preview
Melbourne already has 50m and diving pools, and will incorporate facilities from the Commonwealth Games.

The decision came at a meeting of the world swimming body Fina in Barcelona on Saturday.

The Spanish city is preparing to host the 10th Fina World Championships, which begin on Sunday.

Montreal is to host the championships in 2005, and Fina also announced that Shanghai would stage the 2006 short-course championships.